Someday
by Looly
Summary: Cloud returns to Midgar, and on his stroll through memory lane, visits the church where he first met Aeris... Oneshot


**Disclaimer:** I don't own FF7, sadly... -Sniffle.-

**Someday**

By: Valaina Surion (Vikki)

**I don't want to cry, you see**

**So I don't give in to my weak self.**

**Huge wings**

**Unseen only by eyes**

**Held by undecorated hearts**

**Spread your hands; while singing**

**Be embraced by eternal time**

**Beyond this road, running on far and long**

**Must surely be something we can believe in**

**-Pure Heart**

So much had changed, but still, it seemed that some things were the same. The place was abandoned, and now felt like a ghost town. The poor had sought refuge in the empty homes, living off of what they could. Frequently he thought of this dump, the place that had once been a technological step forward, a place that had been made to make the future easier for growing children. But… it was now so empty. Everybody had been yearning for a taste of the outside, where pollution was scarce, the sky a beautiful cerulean, and the grassy fields endless.

Why had he come back? He had avoided it for so many years, never wanting to rest his eyes upon it again. _It_ had not happened there, but… _he_ had. If not for him, so much pain and suffering wouldn't have happened. Thoughts of what could have been, what should have been, and what had to be left him confused and wondering if what they had done had been right or wrong. They had hurt so many people, but… they had saved so much, too.

He paused a moment, wondering whether or not he should go on. A few more steps, and he would be there… Where he had first seen her. Would it even still be there? Glancing around himself, he saw that some buildings had been torn down. It wouldn't surprise him to arrive and find it in ruins…

After all, it was only a church.

"_I'm searching for you…"_

_"_..._?"_

_"I want to meet you…"_

_"But I'm right here._

_I know, I know… what I mean is… I want to meet…_

_'**You.'"**_

He twisted around, his hands already gripping his weapon tightly. His breathing was fast, and for a moment everything was hazy. He blinked, quickly reached up and rubbed his eyes, and then took a step backwards. What the… What had he just heard? Had it been…

"Hello?" He called, looking around the area. It was vacant. "It's empty…" He whispered, feeling a shudder run up his spine. What was up with him? Maybe he was just sick, or tired. After all, he had been awake for a couple of days.

The place was so empty that it made him feel like leaving. He felt alone—as if he wasn't just the only one in this place, but the only person who knew about, who cared about it, who remember it. He scuffed his boot into the ground, unsure of what to do. It was getting closer. He wanted to go there, see what had happened to them… to the…

"…_flowerbed must have broken your fall. You're lucky."_

_"Flower bed…is this yours? Sorry about that."_

_"That's all right. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow grass or flowers in Midgar… But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here. I love it here."_

Somehow, his steps had taken him to the entrance of the church. It still stood, untouched, though the walls were more scuffed than he had remembered them being. It looked as though someone had tried to tear it down, but had given up soon afterward. He raised his right hand and touched the door, pondering over opening it our turning and leaving. He wasn't sure if he could do this… go back here…

The door slammed open, nearly hitting him in the face. He leapt back, and now two small figures ran into his legs. They jumped and let out a shriek of surprise; however, after taking a glance up at his face and seeing who he was, their faces softened into smiles. He arched an eyebrow at them, wondering what they had been doing in there in the first place.

"It's you!" One of them gasped, a little girl. Her face formed into a bright grin that reached her eyes. "Hey, hey, we've been taking care of the flowers for the lady! It's been a long time, but we did everything that she did and they look so pretty! Come see, come see!"

The girl reached up and grabbed his hand; he pulled it back. She frowned at him, titling her head. "Mister, come see the flowers. They look really nice…"

"You two should get home," He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "You go see your parents. I'll see the flowers, okay?" The girl and her comrade—a boy who was younger and smaller than her, he noticed—nodded happily, turned, and scampered off in the direction in which he had came.

"Seeya, mister! Don't step on the flowers!" Those were the last words the girl called back to him. He smiled weakly. They had also moved from the ghost town, but they still came back to tend the flowers.

He stepped forward, opening the door. What was on the inside made up for what the outside had looked like—the inside was perfect, as usual, despite for a few pieces of debris that lay scattered about. The room was dusty, but brightly lit—the sun shone through the ceiling, and he could see dust particles fluttering about in the air. As he stepped inside he could see tiny footprints on the floor. The children had to have left them. They were the only pair of footprints he could see; to the sides of the church, the seating areas collected dust, and had been left untouched for who knew how long. He coughed, and then rubbed his eyes. All of the dust agitated his eyes…

_How could I ask you to go along when I knew it would be dangerous?_

_"The name's Cloud. Me…? I do a little bit of everything."_

_"Oh… a jack of all trades."_

There. Ahead. Cloud shuddered at the sight of it. The flowerbed where he had first met her. Wearily, he made his way up the aisle. The hole in the ceiling where the sun shone through… it hit the flowerbed direction. The church, as she had once said, was a holy place where anything could happen. He had always wondered if the flowers bloomed because there was actually sunlight, if the church helped it because it was in itself holy, or…

…If they had grown because of her.

Cloud kneeled beside the flowers, his eyes gazing over them in amazement. They were still alive, after all this time. One of the flowers was purple—hell if he had any idea what the name was. She would have, he was willing to bet. He touched one of the petals gently, as if it were a piece of glass. He half-expected it to fall right off, but the flower seemed unharmed by his touch. Cloud dared not pull it from the bed.

They still grew and bloomed, even though she wasn't here. It was odd—he had always thought of her as… He didn't know how to explain it. Whenever he had been around her though, he had felt a feeling that was indescribable. She had been a person who could make anyone cheerful, who could make anyone feel good about themselves…

Heh. One could say she made the flowers bloom.

_Oh… then, why don't you REALLY worry about it? And let me take care of yourself. So you don't have a breakdown, okay?_

Cloud began to shake, his head began to pound, and he clenched his teeth. He was hearing his memories, so vividly that it scared him. It was like she was with him, saying them again, over and over. What was wrong with him? He had saved the church, all of the people, Midgar, the _world_, hadn't he? Why couldn't he just let her go and accept that she was gone? He had had dreams of her, and so many times he had awoken and spent weeks wishing he could have just fallen deep into himself, into his dreams and memories, and stay there forever. Why couldn't he let her go?

He had loved her. That was why. But still… she was gone, and he couldn't live the rest of his life remembering her everywhere he turned, dreaming of being with her again, seeing her face on every girl with braided hair, green eyes, or whenever he caught a glance of…

"_…the flower girl. Nice to meet you."_

"Stop it!" He yelled, slamming his hand against the floor, inches away from the flower. "Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop—"

A hand touched his shoulder. It was cold, at first, and the touch was soft and gentle. He stopped, his eyes still tightly shut, his breathing rapid, but he quickly calmed down. Another tingle shot up his spine from the cool hand. No—it soon felt warm, and like a regular human. Cloud glanced up, staring at the flowers.

"H-hello?" He whispered, looking over his shoulder. The moment his eyes rose to look at the figure, the feeling had gone away. Nobody was there. His imagination had gotten to him.

"Damnit, I just want to be left alone…" He murmured, pressing fisted hands against his forehead. "Just leave me alone, leave me alone…"

There was silence. He didn't hear anything. Not the shuffle of any footsteps, no voices, no birds singing a soft song… Cloud exhaled, but remained where he was.

"I just want everything to go back to how it was… back then…"

_…it bothered me how you looked exactly alike. Two completely different people, but look exactly the same. The way you walk, gesture… I think I must have seen him again, in you… but you're different… things are different…_

_Cloud…_

Cloud leapt up from his knees, shaking his head. Everything seemed to be flashing through his mind, bits and snippets of everything she had said to him, of what he had said to her… He turned and began to walk. Each step, however, he felt weaker. His legs were shaking and he could barely keep his balance—finally, he collapsed onto one of the benches. He didn't have a clue as to what was happening, but he was afraid. For a while he had tried to force her from his mind, to forget about her, but it had been a futile effort.

And now, it felt as though everything were weighing down on him. All of it. He had accepted her being gone, but he had never been able to face it every day, to think of it all the time and not feel so miserable and like he had been robbed of the one thing he wanted most. Cloud held his face in his hands. He wanted to scream.

"Cloud…"

His head jerked up, his eyes wide. What? The voice he had heard… it sounded…

Before him stood the girl he had never said goodbye to. The girl who he had watched fade away from the world, become one with the planet, who he had carried to the water… She looked the same, as if she had not aged at all, even after death.

"…Be strong."

_…Although she should've returned to the planet by now, something stopped her and now she's stuck… we've got to let go of Aeris' memory…_

"Aeris…" He whispered, wondering if once again it were a dream. So many times he had awoken from a dream of her that had felt so real, only to find that reality didn't include her anymore. The only place he could ever be with her would be his dreams.

Calmly, she walked to the garden, a soft smile etched across her face. She clasped her hands and grinned at the sight of the flowers. "Oh, Cloud, they're so beautiful. Didn't I tell you? This place… it's holy, and it helps them grow. Even when outside nothing can ever grow, here it does… Do you remember?"

"…Yes," Cloud murmured, nodding.

"So much has changed," She whispered, kneeling down to touch a flower. "Everyone has left. Except for those two children… They are the only ones who come to visit. Nobody even comes to pray. Just those two little children, to come see the flowers and make sure nothing ruins them…

"Can you ever hear the planet, Cloud? Can you ever hear the voices of the people whose bodies are now one with it, or how they all thank you and the others every day? You've done so many things for the planet…" Aeris stood up and ventured down the aisle. "You've done so many things for your friends… for Tifa, and Marlene, and Vincent, and Nanaki… Barret, Cid, Yuffie… You've helped and changed so many people.

"The planet and everyone who lives on it and with it are so lucky for you."

Cloud smiled, his eyes glued to her. It felt like a dream, but she sounded so real… "Aeris… I… I never said goodbye…"

The words were met with a giggle. "Goodbye? This isn't goodbye. We'll meet each other again, just like I met my mother and father again. Soon, we all will meet each other again. Our last moments together alive aren't last goodbyes, but…" She frowned, crossing her arms to think of a proper phrase.

She smiled. "Last moments together just happen to be the last time you see somebody—before you join them in the planet. A last moment together should never be ended with a goodbye, but with memories of the good times. Memories of the good times that people had together…and dreams of the future!

"But, Cloud… Someday, we'll be together again."

_"Cloud, why don't you dress up like a girl? It's the only way."_

_"What?"_

"_Walk more nicely, like this… Miss Cloud."_

_"What do you mean 'nicely'?"_

It was warm outside; planes filled the sky, and miles away he could see the faint outline of a town. People were safer now, and traveled more and built more cities and towns. All of them were filled with people, eager to find fresh air after living their lives in a diluted and contaminated 'town'. _Midgar…_ He glanced at his motorcycle, noticing how much dust it had collected over his not-so-brief stay. Before he took a seat on it, he patted his hand along the seat and dusted the dirt off it. It was time to leave.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of goggles. The dirt he got in his eyes while driving was enough to make someone want to scream. He had sensitive eyes. Pulling them on, he soon took a seat on the motorcycle. Digging through his pockets again, he pulled out his black leather gloves and pulled them on. Tifa had often teased him that such a getup would earn him a reputation—not that he minded, though.

Gripping the handlebars tightly, he flicked his wrist. The motorcycle engine roared. Glancing over his shoulder, Cloud stole one last look at Midgar. It was time to leave. Would he ever come back? Maybe. He couldn't forget it, but it couldn't haunt him either. All he knew was that he had dwelled long enough. It was time to leave.

Before he forgot, Cloud reached into a pocket of his vest—he didn't want the poor thing to get squished in his pocket, nor did he want it to get blown away. He touched it lightly, allowing a soft smile to cross his lips. Twirling the purple flower in his fingers, he pondered of what to do with it. Its petals were bent slightly, but that didn't bother him. Finally, he placed it in the breast pocket of his best, figuring it would be fine there.

"Time to leave."

_This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it. This secret is just up here. At least, it should be... I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something…_

Someday… Someday they would be together again.

He knew they would.

_Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over.

* * *

_Yep. A oneshot. It may be a bit incurrate, I dunno, but, yeah, that's it. D I have no idea of what is happening in FF7:AC, so the only thing connected with the movie is what Cloud is wearing. Cloud in black leather and on a motocycle the shiznit. So, I hope you liked it, because I had fun writing it. I also suggest people listen to Aeris' theme, or Pure Heart, which is sang by Hikki. It's a really beautiful songI actually wrote this while listening to it. Anyway, I hope everybody likes it! CLOUD x AERIS FOREVER!


End file.
